for God is in heaven, and you are on the earth: And even if a weak one is above, and a mighty one is below, the fear of the weak one is upon the mighty one, and all the more so if a mighty one is above and a weak one is below!

2For a dream comes with much concern, and the voice of the fool with many words.

For a dream comes with much concern: For it is usual for a dream to come because of the many thoughts upon which a person ponders and thinks during the day, and it is usual for the voice of a fool to come with many words, because by increasing his words, he utters a voice of foolishness from his mouth, for [from talking too much] transgression is inevitable; therefore, I say that your words should be few.

3When you pronounce a vow to God, do not delay to pay, for He has no pleasure in fools; that which you vow, pay.

If you see oppression of the poor and deprivation of justice and righteousness, etc.: If you see in the province that they oppress the poor and deprive [them of] justice and righteousness.

wonder not: about the will of the Omnipresent, when He brings evil upon them.

for the Highest over the high waits: and sees their deeds, and there are higher ones [i.e., angels] over them who perform the agency of the Omnipresent, and they have a strong hand to punish them.

and deprivation of justice: Heb. וְגֵזֶל מִשְּׁפָּט, deprivation of justice. Since it is in the construct state, it is vowelized גֶזֶל, with a small “pattah” (seggol), for were it not in the construct state, it would be vowelized גָזֵל with a “kamatz.” Another explanation: If you see that they oppress the poor and deprive them of justice, and you see charity coming to the city, that the Holy One, blessed be He, lavishes goodness upon them and does not mete retribution upon them, do not wonder about the will of the Omnipresent, for so is His custom, to be slow to anger.

for the Highest over the high waits: He waits until their measure is full.

and… higher ones: He has over them to recompense them when the time of their visitation arrives, like (Job 14:15): “You do not wait (תִשְּׁמוֹר) for my sin” ; (Isa. 26:2): “awaiting (שֹּׁמֵר) the realization” ; (Gen. 37: 11): “awaited (שָּׁמַר) the matter.”

8And the loftiness of the earth is in everything; even the King is subservient to the field.

And the loftiness of the earth is in everything: and the loftiness of the dwellers of the earth, who are haughty and provoke the Omnipresent.

is in everything: In everything, he performs His agency to recompense them, even through mosquitoes, as He did to Titus.

even the King is subservient to the field: The Holy One, blessed be He, became subservient to Zion, to demand [the punishment for] their mistreatment from her destroyers and to pay her reward to her builders.

9Whoever loves silver will not be sated with silver, and he who loves a multitude without increase-this too is vanity.

Whoever loves silver will not be sated with silver: Whoever loves the commandments will not be sated with them.

and he who loves a multitude: of many commandments.

without increase: and none of them has a specific and recognizable commandment, such as the building of the Temple or a synagogue, or a beautiful Sepher Torah.

this too is vanity: So are these two verses expounded upon in the Midrash, and there are other suitable interpretations, but I stated this one first because it is related to the matter of (verse 7): “and there are higher ones over them,” which Scripture juxtaposed to them. Another explanation:

[8] And the loftiness of the earth is over everything: The reward for tilling the soil is esteemed over everything, for even the king must be subservient to the field; if the earth produced fruits, he will eat, but if not, he dies from hunger.

[9] Whoever loves silver will not be sated with silver: He will not eat money, and he who loves a multitude-of money…

without grain: that he does not gather for himself produce-this too is vanity. Another explanation:

[8] And the loftiness of the land is in everything: The reward of Israel is in all words of Torah, both in Scripture, in Mishnah, and in Gemara.

the king is subservient to the field: If he is [well-versed] in Scripture and in Mishnah, he must still be subservient to the one well-versed in Gemara, because he arranges before him the practical decisions of prohibition and permissibility, uncleanness and cleanness, and laws of jurisprudence.

[9] Whoever loves silver: Whoever loves Torah, will not be sated with it.

and he who loves a multitude: of Torah.

without grain: [He] who has [knowledge of] Scripture and Mishnah, but has no [knowledge of] Gemara, what use does he have? All these are in Leviticus Rabbah (23:13).

10With the increase of good, its eaters increase, and what is the advantage to its Master, except seeing [with] His eyes?

and what is the advantage to its Master: to the Holy One, blessed be He, with all the improvement of their deeds.

except seeing [with] His eyes: that He sees that they are subservient to Him, and He has satisfaction [from the fact] that He commanded [lit. He said] and His will was done, and so [it is] concerning the sacrifices.

With the increase of good its eaters increase: When they bring many freewill offerings, the priests who eat it increase.

and what is the advantage to its Master: to the Holy One, blessed be He.

except what He sees [with] His eyes: that He commanded, and His will was done.

11The sleep of the laborer is sweet, whether he eat little or much, but the satiety of the rich does not allow him to sleep.

The sleep of the laborer is sweet: The one who tills the soil sleeps, and he enjoys his sleep, whether he eats little or whether he eats much, for he is already accustomed to it.

but the satiety of the rich does not allow him to sleep: But the satiety of belongings of the rich man, who owns much merchandise, does not allow him to sleep; all night he thinks about them. Another explanation: The year of the one who serves God is sweet; whether the days of his years are few or many, he will eat his reward-the one who had few years like the one who had many years. Moses led Israel forty years, and the prophet Samuel led them ten years, yet Scripture equated them, this one like that one, as it is said (Ps. 99.6): “Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who call in His name, etc.” So is it expounded upon in Tanhuma (Ki Thissa 3).

but the satiety of the rich: the one who has taught many traditions.

does not allow him to sleep: in the grave, as it is said (Song 7:10): “making the lips of the sleeping speak.” Every Torah scholar, in whose name a traditional law is recited-his lips speak in the grave.

12There is a grievous evil that I saw under the sun; riches kept by their owner for his harm.

and sickness: Heb. וְחָלְיוֹ, like וְחֹלִי, and the “vav” is superfluous, like the “vav” of (Ps. 104:20): “beast (חֳיְתוֹ) of the forest.”

17Behold what I saw; it is good, yea, it is beautiful, to eat and drink and to experience goodness with all his toil that he toils under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God gave him, for that is his portion.

to eat and drink and to experience goodness: to engage in the Torah, which is a good doctrine; and he should not accumulate much wealth, but he should rejoice with the portion given him, for that is his portion.

18Also every man whom God has given riches and property and has given him power to eat thereof and to take his portion and to rejoice with his toil; that is a gift of God.

For let him remember that the days of his life: for they are few and not many; so why should he toil to accumulate wealth? Let him toil in his lifetime with a thing that endures for him in the World to Come.

for God is testimony, etc.: The Holy One, blessed be He, [testifies] a constant testimony about this forever.

of the joy of his heart: that he rejoiced to do good in his lifetime, and I saw in the Midrash (Ecc. Rabbah): This refers to Elkanah, who led Israel up to Shiloh on the festivals, and on the way that he brought them up on one year he did not bring them up the foll owing year, in order to publicize the matter and to accustom them [to perform the pilgrimage]. Therefore, Scripture praises him (I Sam. 1:3): “And that man was wont to go up from his city, etc.” I believe [lit., I say] that this Midrash is [based on] the end of the verse: “for God is testimony of the joy of his heart.” This is Elkanah, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, established in the Scriptures, and testified about him: “And that man was wont to go up from his city.”

testimony: Heb. מַעֲנֶה. This is vowelized with a “pattah kattan” (seggol). Therefore, I explain it as a noun, like (Job 32:5): “for there was no answer (מַעֲנֶה) in the mouth of the three men.”